James: Europe is going to put a strain on us

Portsmouth ‘keeper David James has voiced his concerns regarding how European commitments could affect the club’s league performance.

Pompey had their best ever campaign last year after finishing 8th in the league and winning the FA Cup. By beating Cardiff in the final, Pompey qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. They now face a difficult season trying to cope with the demands of both league and cup competitions.

Fans are wishing for an even better season than last with some dreaming of UEFA Cup success, whilst others are thinking about a top six finish. However David James believes the squad will be stretched to the limit with the amount of games that will be coming their way.

James told The Mirror, “We’ve a UEFA Cup bid and that’s going to put a strain on us with the amount of games and the size of our squad,”

“Middlesbrough proved in 2006 you can go so far in the UEFA Cup but unless you win it, it becomes a bit of a fruitless task.

“It’s going to be important we keep our players fit to do well in Europe and on the other front to do well in the league.”

James emphasises the need for focus and believes that success in the cup competitions can enable players to take their eyes off the ball when it comes to the league. Pompey lost their last four league games of the season before beating Cardiff in the FA Cup final.

James added, “As we found in the FA Cup last season it is easy to take your eye off your league position.”

“Arguably we could have finished fifth, but with the FA Cup we didn’t and we ended up eighth.”